More than £1,000 raised for elderly woman after purse snatched during Aldi shopping trip
An appeal set up by a good Samaritan after an 87-year-old had her purse stolen while shopping in a Shropshire supermarket has raised more than £1,000 in under 24 hours.
Amanda Williams set up the page after hearing about the theft in Aldi in Oswestry on Monday morning.
The store’s CCTV pictures captured the shocking moment where a man distracts the victim while his accomplice reaches into her bag and steals her purse.
Writing on her JustGiving page, Amanda, who lives in the town, said: “I would like to show this 87-year-old lady who was just doing her shopping that there is still some good in the world.
“This could be my nan, your nan, it’s not nice to happen to anyone.”
She said that donations made to the appeal will be handed over to Oswestry Police Station, which will then give the funds to the victim.
The JustGiving appeal was set up on Wednesday night, and after being shared hundreds of times on Facebook, donations quickly topped the original £200 target.
Donations stand at £1,495 and rising.
Updating her page, Amanda said: “Donations have been coming in thick and fast.
“I want to thank all of you who have liked, shared or donated.
“I don’t know this lady personally but I just felt something had to be done to show here we are not all bad.”
Donors left messages of support on the JustGiving page.
One wrote: “God bless her poor woman! I hope she buys herself a special treat.”
Another said: “Please let this lady know there are people who are outraged that this has happened to her and send her our love.”
Police are still appealing for information about the two suspects.
By 11am on Thursday the JustGiving page had reached £970 of its original £200 target.
The footage, which has been shared hundreds of times on Twitter and Facebook, appears to show one man as he motions to grab the purse before returning for a second time, spending seconds rooting in her bag.
He then retrieves the purse, checks it and pockets it as he is walking off.
Meanwhile the woman has been distracted by another man showing her items from the supermarket shelf.
Police are searching for the suspects, who were described as Eastern European and in their 40s.
The theft happened at the Aldi supermarket, in Oswald Road, at around 10.25am.
One man is said to have short hair and was wearing a smart blue jacket, while the other was bald with glasses, stocky and wearing a black jacket.
Anyone with information on any of these crimes should call the police on 101.
To view the fundraising page to find out more.
